Battlestar Galactica: Season Two
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Free Music Notes for Battlestar Galactica: Season Two
Free Music Review: Exploring the Human Experience through a Fusion of Styles
Hit: 5 Stars
About the Composer:
Bear McCreary took over as the composer for the hot new science fiction series Battlestar Gallactica when the series went it normal production in 2004. McCreary expanded upon some of the original mini-series (2003) composer Richard Gibbs's themes, but quickly developed a style of his own characterized by a mix of tribal beats, ethereal vocals, and electronics. His season 1 Battlestar Galactica soundtrack was very well received, and has been considered an instrumental part of the success of the series. McCreary is comfortable writing and making use of traditional orchestra ensembles, string quartets, electronic compositions, rock flavored guitar, and more traditional folk arrangements. I'd describe his style as actually being similar to European "fusion" music, which mixes electronics with a variety of music styles from around the globe.
About the Soundtrack:
This disk is packed with over an hour of some of my favorite musical tracks from BSG season 2. Though the series itself reused some of the music originally scored for season 1, with only a few exceptions this soundtrack actually focuses on highlighting the new music introduced in season 2. In season 1, McCreary established a few theme songs that we incorporate with specific characters and those themes are worked into new pieces for season 2. Starbuck's theme is masterfully mixed into "Escape from the Farm" and Baltar's theme is integral to "Baltar's Dream" (the track ties into "The Shape of Things to Come" from the season 1 disk). Aside from those two tracks and Richard Gibbs main title sequence (sort of a must for a television soundtrack disk), the rest of the material is not available on the previous disk.
Recommended Tracks:
* Pegasus
* Lords of Kobol
* Martial Law
* Black Market
* Prelude to War
* Something Dark is Coming
Though amazon allows you to sample the music, their choice of what part of the tracks to sample does not always highlight what I like about many of these tracks. For example, the sampled version of "Lords of Kobol" (sung by jazz singer Raya Yarbrough) doesn't feature her vocals ... which are amazing! Raya's lyrics, sung in Sengalese, are really one of the most moving pieces on this disk and it is a shame you will not be able to sample them before making your purchase! On the other hand, the amazon sample of "Martial Law" is very true to the track. Basically the disk is better than the samples.
What I liked most about this soundtrack was its diversity. "Black Market" is a dark fusion of industrial guitar riffs and a middle-eastern flute / drum rhythm (it sounds like a seedy restaurant). Yarbrough's heavenly vocals on "Lords of Kobol" add an emotional and uplifting human touch. "Martial Law" is a chilling styled cold war / eastern bloc styled piece that is completely unlike "The Cylon Prisoner" which has a mix of blues and southwestern American folk. All of these different styles work together as an audio exploration of the state of the human condition - which ultimately is what the series itself is about!
Free Music Review: An amazing soundtrack to one of television's best shows
Hit: 5 Stars
This is most definitely one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. Bear McCreary goes above and beyond anything I'd expect from a television soundtrack (even for such a fantastic show). Every piece is unique and there is nothing to skip here. Nothing. The music is atmospheric, sometimes ethereal (Lords of Kobol, main title), other times simply beautiful (Roslin and Adama, Reuniting the Fleet) and other times epic and grand feeling (Prelude to War, Colonial Anthem). His use of percussion is a major highlight of this soundtrack, as it is for seasons 1 and 3 (particularly 3- which I highly recommend as well). In my opinion this soundtrack is the best of the three, although they're all good.
My personal favorite pieces:
"Something Dark is Coming" -my absolute favorite, from the finale "Lay Down your Burdens." A very slow, sad and beautiful piece that builds gradually towards a powerful ending. Great percussion.
"Martial Law" -incredible, mournful-sounding piece with more great percussion.
"Lords of Kobol" -very different, almost like a contemporary soft-rock song. I don't remember this from the show, but I like it (didn't at first- it grew on me).
"Roslin and Adama" -just beautiful
"Gina Escapes" -a really unique piece with a great ending. I wish it was longer.
"Prelude to War" Amazing, epic piece from the outstanding Pegasus/ Resurrection Ship 3-parter. The percussion in this is phenomenal (The Space channel used it in their "Razor" broadcast)
"One year Later" -like Gina Escapes, a completely unique theme, (never heard again) that I wish was longer. Really lovely piece.
As I said before, there is nothing on this soundtrack that I ever feel like skipping. Every piece is top-notch. The above are just the pieces that I have found myself playing over and over on repeat because they're really just that good.
Free Music Review: Atmospheric to Stratospheric -- Let Bear on Set!
Hit: 5 Stars
The liner notes from Ron Moore and from Bear in this Season 2 offering give us a pretty strong hint -- more than in Season 1 -- of the grueling, frustrating, mind/soul-frakkin' work that it is to be a composer for a series like BG.
Knowing this, and hearing what Bear was able to create from that chaotic miasma, is nothing short of miraculous. To Ron Moore I say, "let the boy on set!" so he can partake of some of that camraderie -- the totally unexpected goofiness of Mary McDonnell, the sly humor of Jamie Bamber, the crusty stoicism of Eddie Olmos. Imagine what a Bear fueled with this input could do? Get Bear to the set!
Rant finished.
It's no doubt wonderful to hear Bear's work stripped of the visuals and the competing dialogue and sfx tracks. There was a lot of stuff going on in Season 2 and, while watching the episodes, I felt we weren't allowed to hear as much of Bear's thematic underpinnings as we did in Season 1. Now you can hear every note played and sung.
"Roslin/Adama" is stunningly lyrical, poignant. Can't you just see the two of them, waltzing slowly around a room in that 3/4 time? Some room somewhere? Some time in the future?
"Reuniting the Fleet" -- yea! Always great to hear that taste of Home.
"A Promise to Return" -- sweet and synchronistic when you read of the tragedy that befell the violinist who performed on the track.
Bottom line -- Bear is the perfect foil for the dramatic gravitas of this series. He "gets it." And, because he does, we do, too.
To all those creators and advocates and people seeking to make the world better, pick up this CD and make it one of your "soundtracks of life." Play it while you're tackling the tough, dramatic stuff we have to tackle, because Bear's music says "yes we can" and "we'll be better off for the tackling."
Free Music Review: ...Something Dark Is Coming.
Hit: 5 Stars
Battlestar Galactica Season 2 Soundtrack - Bear McCreary.
My Review:
After the recent success of the show, Bear McCreary is making himself a household name, with more than one trick up his sleeve to get you into the swing of his matured and very prominently made tunes. He continues the sweeping multi-faceted talent of Richard Gibbs, who's music provided the style and overall ostentatious feel to the series. Bear McCreary gets really into it, adding and mixing constantly what feels right at that right moment, intricacies levelled throughout the entire album, adding true emotion, you may never catch the deepness of these songs the first time and they only get better with time; with clever cross-cut shots to coincide with his musical taste, drama and real build-up of tension unlike most shows these days.
The reason having the title of this review named 'Something Dark Is Coming' is because something dark looms on a precipice at the end of this season's finale. This song in particular stands out like the many others, all of which relax are carefully interwoven with the gorgeous cinematography of the shows excellence. High quality music, for high quality scenes and show. Some great tracks include, 'A Promise To Return)', the considered flawless 'Prelude To War', the incandescent `Allegro', `Baltar's Dream'. The 80's become almost reminiscent in this album, with tracks like `Gina's Escape' and `Something Dark Is Coming' reminding you of an 80's year type soundtrack you grew up on.
Verdict:
Some shows get it right, this happens to be one of them. The composer knows what he is doing and he will do more with it in time. This is but a glimpse of the extraordinary talent of Bear McCreary. 9.5/10.
Free Music Review: near perfection
Hit: 5 Stars
This is it. If you enjoyed McCrearys Score for Season 1, then this is definitely your next must-buy.
McCreary is doing the impossible: he goes much further, beyond what he has created in Season 1 OST. This is especially for those who know the first soundtrack cd and are begging for more. There you got it. It does not repeat those drum-action-cues, does not drift away into those arabian-exotic-strings. It's fresh and it's new. There are some tunes on this cd that you would never have expected. Probably McCreary's best decision: Track 10 "Something Dark Is Coming" in its own full greatfull length of nearly nine minutes. This is a huge statement. How long has it been since you heard a track on a soundtrack album which has exactly the length it is needed to have? There you go. It's all here.
If you love the show, this is clearly a must-buy. If you like unusual, almost exotical music for movies and television, this is must-buy. If you have a good sense for music that does not sound like anything you have ever heard in this constelletion before, it is a freakin' must-buy.
Dear Bear McCreary, I am proud of you. You did everything I could hope for. This CD is almost near perfection. It is exactly what a Season 2 Score for a show like Battlestar Calactica is supposed to be. You did great. Thank you for this.
To all those of you who have been reading this: Don't hesitate. Buy it! Give the show and Mr McCreary a good chance of continuing their work.
Cheers,
Felix
By the way: Please forgive the language. I am German, so this is all improvised.
Greetings!